(NaturalNews) In a land surrounded by pollution and lax food safety regulations, the Chinese are turning to organics in hopes of living a healthier, cleaner life through better nutrition provided by higher quality foods.

A multitude of food scandals has left the Chinese weary about purchasing foods in the country’s conventional market. In 2013, a factory in the city of Kunming was reportedly using pond water to make rice vermicelli. The pond was specifically used for washing feet, according to reports. That same year, a Beijing KFC was exposed for serving rice that contained 13 times more bacteria than toilet water.

A Chinese affiliate of the U.S. meat supplier OSI Group was accused of using expired meat, which they sold to major fast-food chains like McDonald’s and KFC. China’s food regulations are so poor that Food Sentry, an American food consulting firm, ranked them one of the world’s worst safety violators in 2014, according to CNBC.

The food scandals have not gone unnoticed. A 2012 Pew survey found that 41 percent of Chinese were “deeply concerned” about food safety, compared to just 12 percent four years earlier.

China’s domestic food market laced with corruption

While China has become an emerging exporter for organic food, their domestic standards are far weaker than the export industry, which undergoes rigorous testing at the request of the importer.

“Organic” food in China is supposed to be grown without pesticides and synthetic fertilizers; however, it is anyone’s guess whether or not that’s true. Some manufacturers have even been caught falsely making “organic” labels.

Chinese government officials continue to downplay the country’s crisis involving food safety standards, with the head of China’s Food and Drug Administration stating that food safety is “not characterized with major systematic risk.”

Organic produce grown in China costs five times more than conventionally grown food.